Export boom remarkable in 'weak trade growth' era
December's record trade surplus is good news for corporate profits and the government's triple A rating. But economists expect the impact on the real economy to be muted
The Economy
Bye bye bean counters, hello business consultant
Small shopfront accountants nationwide are worried about the end of the traditional tax return.
Wanted: More women at the RBA
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe prides himself on trying to fully answer questions leveled at him in public. It turned out to be a query from his family that flummoxed him.
Future Fund managers must walk political tightrope
Within three years, Australians may witness one of the biggest financial raids in history.
Business conditions jump sharply in December
Business conditions recovered strongly in December as firms reported a marked pick-up in sales and profits, the latest in a string of surveys pointing to gathering momentum going into the new year.
Cutting company tax won't drive investment: Australia Institute
New research ridicules the prime minister's claim that cutting the company tax rate will boost foreign investment, pointing out that almost all of Australia's foreign investment applications come from countries with much lower tax rates.
Australia now makes more from tourism than exporting coal
Australia now makes more money selling tourism services to foreigners than it makes from exporting coal.
Australia's biggest tax break: you're sitting in it
The family home has eclipsed superannuation as Australia's biggest tax break.
Best since Gough. Australia's current account deficit set to tumble
The current account deficit, once thought of as Australia's biggest economic challenge, will as good as vanish in the year ahead as income from exports exceeds spending on imports for the longest time since the 1970s, according to the Deloitte Access preview of the year ahead.
Rates on hold as inflation bottoms
The Reserve Bank has been given licence to leave interest rates on hold at its first board meeting for the year, after the delivery of a low inflation result in line with its expectations and signs it will lift.
'Well and truly alive': Weak inflation raises RBA rate cut prospects
Australia's rate of inflation in 2016 was below expectations, sparking fears of continued economic weakness and keeping the door open for an interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank.
How your nest egg drops by thousands due to unpaid super
Australians who have been underpaid their super entitlements have balances that are almost $20,000 or about 50 per cent lower, new research Industry Super Australia shows.
'Back to the drawing board' on trade after Trump dumps TPP
The government is being urged to revisit bilateral trade deals with Australia's big Asian trade partners, after Donald Trump's move to pull the plug on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Dear Gladys, here are 11 ways to improve housing affordability
The new premier claims to be "open minded" on the best ways to improve housing affordability, but here are 11 economist-endorsed ideas that might test her mettle.
Sydney has the second least affordable housing in the world: study
It's the global ranking Australians don't want.
Reflation a long way off in Australia
Consumer prices are likely to have edged higher last quarter driven by petrol, but core inflation will still linger at worryingly low levels.
What are the Canberra job trends for 2017?
Which industries are performing and likely to offer strong employment opportunities in 2017?
Still going strong: ACT in Australia's top three economies
The ACT easily held its spot as Australia's third best performing economy after NSW and Victoria, respectively, with strong consumer, business and housing spending.
Nobody noticed Australia's million woman march
Women are marching on Washington this weekend, but they've been storming the Australian workforce for decades, with implications for mortgage rates.
Business calls for spending to roll on after Mike Baird's exit
Business chiefs are urging the next NSW premier to continue driving the state's infrastructure boom, crediting Mike Baird's support for big projects with helping to resurrect the state economy to a position of national leadership.
Victoria the nation's job star as NSW slumps
The Australian economy added 91,500 jobs in 2016 – the worst yearly figure since 2013.
Job creation hit three-year low in 2016
The Australian economy added 91,500 jobs in 2016 – the worst yearly figure since 2013.
Consumer spending above trend in December
The first measure of consumer spending in December to be released suggests Australian businesses had one of their better holiday seasons in 10 years, with consumer spending over the holiday period well above the decade growth average for the month.
NBN sets sights on 'significant turning point'
NBN Co believes its network build will be halfway complete by the end of this financial year, as its roll out moves into metropolitan areas.
The big worry for CEOs around the world
The world's chief executives are shrugging off worries around global volatility and are increasingly confident their businesses will grow in the next year.
Pay a key symbol as inequality dominates Davos
Chief executive pay has become a powerful symbol of the widening gap between the winners and losers created by globalisation, and boards must put more focus on justifying the bonuses they pay executives amid a backlash against free-market policies.
Chance and incompetence - our recipe for success
Where does the time go? This year will mark the 10th anniversary of the onset of the global financial crisis.
Are we in a housing bubble? No one really knows
House prices are out of control in some Australian capitals. And this week comes a proposal that this should be countered by halting interest rate cuts — a move that would not only fail to solve the problem but also have detrimental impact on the rest of the country, where housing is not booming.
'Vicious cycle': the biggest global risks over the next decade
Rising income inequality is the most important underlying trend determining global events, according to the WEF's annual assessment of global risks. For business, the biggest risk is the potential for cyber attacks.
Business chiefs more cautious in 2017
Fresh from a year that delivered major political shocks and proved tougher than expected, Australian business leaders are taking a cautious approach to 2017.
Small Business
No staff, no tills, just profit for man who saw a slot in the market
In a battered, dirty shopfront in St Kilda, Hari Shotham thinks he's found the future of Australian retail. An unstaffed shop full of vending machines.
Do you need a crowdfunding strategist?
Chances are you do if you're starting a fundraising campaign and you've never come across one.